We think the world needs more artists, more creatives and more folks unwilling to spend their days as a cog in a giant corporate machine. We don’t necessarily dislike cogs or machines but we think the world clearly needs more artists and creatives and so we wanted to try to figure out how more artists can make it work financially since this is one of the major obstacles blocking so many artists and creatives from pursuing their art full time. So, we asked folks who have been able to make a full time living through their creative work, how they did it.

Asaf Bochman

Earning a full-time living from creative work doesn’t happen overnight. Having reliable systems for marketing, sales, and customer service are crucial to a functioning business. Learning to create, implement, and improve these systems has been key to increasing revenue and the reliability of that revenue. Out of my 20 years of customer service experience came the understanding that any single bad customer experience can break one’s trust in a brand. Ensuring positive experiences isn’t accidental and needs to be planned out as early as possible.  I approach potential clients with a genuine desire to help them resolve their problems using my skills. If I can’t, I will let them know. I’ve told several leads no who have eventually came back to become clients. Respect is the foundation of a relationship, and sales is built on relationships. Don’t seek out to help millions of people right away, work to help one person fix a big problem. Build from that to systems you can help clients implement. Go beyond Photoshop and run a business that solves problems. Read more>>

Dilemastronauta

The concept of “ making it” can be a bit confusing, what does it mean to make it? I feel like you make it – happen-. As an entrepreneur there are ups and downs, It never ends. My favorite artists are constantly making it. In the music business there are moments when you think you can touch the sky. Other times you struggle financially or emotionally to keep going. I personally feel like making it is a choice to pursue your own happiness using art as the vehicle. If at some point you need to get regular job it doesn’t mean you didn’t make it. It just means that you’re going through a financial low. But if you continue, the up will be waiting for you.I feel there are no shortcuts to get to where you want to be. Off course you have to study your craft, but living life as a creative, artistic person has a unique journey that must be experienced. Read more>>

Domenica Brockman

I knew I wanted to have a career with creativity and flexibility from the very start. I had an unusual upbringing, living in different countries in Africa. For college, I decided to study painting in the fine arts program at Cornell University, and when I graduated I thought I might like to be a teacher. I quickly found that this was not the path for me, and spent a few years in arts administration, working for nonprofits and art galleries, all the while painting in my limited spare time. Eventually, I turned my passion for vintage objects and antique textiles into a small business, opening the shop, “Flux Co.” in Brooklyn in 1998, with two partners, and then on my own with “Curio” in Park Slope in 2000. Read more>>

Chad Fishburne

I haven’t always been able to make a living from my creative work, but I’m happy (and lucky) to say that I do now. My live event MC journey began in 2008 when I was asked to be one of the In-Game Hosts for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. A friend from my improv troupe, who held the main role, recommended me as his backup. Though it was a very part-time gig, it was an incredible experience. Standing in front of 16,000 fans was surreal—even as a seasoned stage performer. But I quickly learned to focus on the task at hand and have fun with it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: if you’re not having fun, your audience won’t be either—whether it’s comedy, combat sports, or anything else. Read more>>

Norris Hall

I have been able to earn a full-time living from my artwork, and I feel very fortunate to have done so. It’s difficult to say what “day one” was. I think there have been several “day ones”. There was day one when I decided I definitely wanted to see if I could make it happen. Then there was day one of quitting my “real job” and going for it. Then there was day one of believing I could really make this “art thing” work. Although I’ve maintained my basic style, the work itself has evolved. The way I was able to make it work early on was realizing that if I painted my art onto something functional, people were more likely to buy it. So I painted it on clocks, furniture, tissue boxes, jewelry, or just about anything that had some sort of practical function. After years of selling my items at craft fairs, I started getting requests for other things like mural painting, and illustration work. Read more>>

Buffie Mclaskey

I have been able to earn a full time living as a professional Dancer in Boston and NYC but my goal is to do that in Maine because I believe there is phenomenal talent in Maine and it’s the state that I was born in. As a Dance Instructor I’ve made a great living in Maine but not yet solely as a performer. I have always made up dance routines since I can remember . I started teaching at 13 years old and performing professionally at 14. At 16 years old I went to a McDonald’s audition in Boston where I had to sing and dance and I knew that it wasn’t me. I wasn’t feeling it.. the song was so upbeat and happy . It’s not that I’m not happy but I’ve been through a lot personally and the upbeat is not my vibe.. I’m a down beat type of Dancer with a Bgyrl flare and the moves were not anything that would represent what I was about and at that moment I realized what my style was and who I was exactly as an artist. I bowed out of the audition and ended up getting an audition with two well known Hip-Hop companies in Boston the same day right on the sidewalk ‘Phunk Phenomenon and ‘ The FloorLords that I performed with for a few years. I later moved on to Dance in several companies in different styles ranging from Modern to Hip-Hop to African and traveled all over performing. Read more>>

Carin Dougherty

Before photography, I worked in the medical field as a physician assistant. Making the transition from medicine to photography has been a wild ride, indeed! It all started with burn out from the day-to-day grind of clinical practice. I had enjoyed photography as a hobby and pastime, and had taken several local night and weekend classes on photography. One day it dawned upon me~ I could actually take some time off of work to go to photography school and really dive deep into what had become my new passion. I had a glimmer of an idea at that time, that maybe one day I could perhaps make money with my photography, but I had no idea how to do it or where to start. Fortunately, there is a well respected photography school in the town where I live, and as soon as I sat in on one of their open house events on a Saturday afternoon, I was sold on the idea of leaving my day job and enrolling in their 9 month full-time professional photography program. And that’s exactly what I did! I knew that in addition to technical and lighting skills in photography, the program also included roughly a third of the education on business and marketing. Without this, I would have been completely lost. They gave me the business tools I needed and a roadmap to get my business off the ground, and I actually graduated from the program with a business name, logo, portfolio, and website already created, as well as a business plan. Read more>>

Erick Gerber

Today, I am able to earn a full-time living from my creative work but it took a lot of work and time to build up the skills and connections I needed. After I finished studying in 2012, I started by working for music schools/lesson agencies as that was the most obvious next step to earning a consistent income. I played as many gigs as possible over the weekends and weeknights, many of which were free or just covering transport costs. After a while of doing this, gaining experience and making friends with the venues and other musicians, I started playing gigs for established artists which paid a lot better. I also picked up some marketing and design skills which helped me get wedding and corporate gigs (which were also more financially rewarding). Read more>>

The Phronetic

Yes, I make a full time living from my art and I couldn’t be more grateful. It didn’t start out that way though, in college I was learning how to make beats and I had a small dog-walking business on the side to support myself. After a few months of making beats and sharing my beats with the world I started getting people contacting me about making beats for them for money, and I sold a couple beats that way. When I realized that I could actually make income from my beats, I quit my dog walking job and 2 weeks later I was making beats from morning until night. One of the first milestones was getting my first consistent client who was ordering several beats from me monthly. After I saw that this was possible, to have a stable monthly income with a client, I realized that everything was just a matter of scaling up from here. Getting more clients and snowballing until I have a full time living. I was able to achieve that within the next year or two after that point. Read more>>

Hermione Elma

Yes, I have been able to earn a full-time living from my creative work, but it has been a journey with many challenges and learning experiences. I’ve been in this industry for 12 years, and it was far from a full-time income in the beginning. I had to build my skills, brand, and client base gradually. In those early days, every project was a stepping stone, and I took on smaller projects to gain experience and establish my name. Key milestones in my journey included finding my unique style, identifying my target audience, and building strong relationships with clients who truly appreciated my work. Networking and consistently showcasing my designs on social media helped me attract clients who valued custom, high-quality gowns. With each successful project, I gained confidence and momentum, which eventually led to a steady stream of work. Read more>>

Scott Martin

Yes – which, really, feels pretty incredible still. I think a lot of things had to happen on the road to this place, but I truly do think that the most important piece of it was my own stubbornness and refusal to pack it in, no matter the circumstances (and there was no shortage of dire ones on the journey). I went to school to be a history teacher, but I knew what I really wanted to do was to be a recording artist. I was writing songs at the age of fifteen, played in a bunch of local bands, and worked at the local nursery, selling trees and the like. Later I wound up teaching in the local mom & pop music school, which really helped widen my understanding of music and my abilities. It also gave me a flexible job where I could take off in order to tour, and still return. The folks that ran that place, John and Lori Ciamillo, were saints, and they truly helped me a great deal. Read more>>

Tsilala Brock

I have had ample amounts of side jobs and gig work in New York. I moved here ten years ago exactly and have been a telethon worker, sales representative, bookshop associate, choir teacher, Barry’s Bootcamp Manager, the works. The hardest jobs were the ones I really had no interest in. Working as a host in a loud restaurant took up a lot of my energy working at night and yelling over the loud restaurant. Although the free Italian food was a treat. Barry’s Bootcamp was a good mix. I could take free workout classes and met interesting people but found waking up at 3:30am in the morning to unlock the doors for the 5am class meant my voice was shot by the time I needed to sing in auditions after auditions. Read more>>

Maude Theberge

Yes, I have been a full time singer/musician/voice actress for more than 3 years now, but it’s something I’ve been doing for way longer part-time, almost 10 years now. It certainly wasn’t the same 10 years ago, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to do this full time today. I completed my music and management studies and gained experience with my main project and teaching, and added more projects along the way. Eventually, with my full time 40-hours-a-week job, it became overwhelming to work and do all my other projects on the side, so I quit my day job to focus on my music and artistic projects full time, and doing so also brought me new occasions and projects. Basically, the fact that I freed my schedule to be available when occasions surfaced helped me do this full time. I am also very polyvalent: I sing, growl, play piano, violin and a bunch of other instruments, I write my texts and compose my music, I am a licensed music teacher, a voice actress, an actress, etc. and it’s because I know and do all these things that I am able to earn enough money to do this full time (and it’s still not easy). I could have sped up the process by freeing my schedule earlier, but at the same time my jobs and past experiences also brought me a lot of very useful information to manage my career today. Read more>>

Ciera Wallace

I have been blessed during this transition to full-time working on my craft and passion to serve small business owners and start-ups. About 4 Months ago I was let go from my full-time job and was then able to pursue my passion Full-time. At first, the journey was tough, trying to cope with challenges like the loss of my father, rejection, depression, and so much more. I can say that it has been a journey. I realized that I could take care of what matters most, my family, work with whoever I wanted, can manage my time the way I needed. Every day I pray and set my calendar for time to spend with my kiddos, focus time, and time for meetings with my clients. I can get more fulfillment this way. The revenue will come. My Husband has been my biggest fan, he reminds me to keep going each day. My Parents showed me the importance of hard work and I saw them both let go of their dreams so I could learn and gain the education I needed to pursue mine. My Father told me before he passed that it was time. The time is to make my dreams come true. My Aunt has also been encouraging me to keep going. It’s hard work. It’s not easy, you will feel many emotions during your journey but keep going as best as you can. Read more>>

Jennifer Valadez

I have been earning a full-time living from my creative work since 2020. I know that 2020 was a hard time for many of us however, I began getting many referrals to DJ events-outdoors because no one wanted to be in close quarters due to the 6 feet apart rule. I had been furloughed from my full-time job and got some part-time work here and there to get by. Suddenly, I was getting more and more inquiries to DJ at events. I was even able to DJ some weddings that year that helped me gain more experience in the wedding world. At that point, I took the risk of quitting my job(s) and decided to invest in this era of my life. I had some money in my savings that allowed me to purchase equipment and/or rent while I got started. I got by with a little help from my friends/peers in the DJ land (who loaned me equipment). Thank you friends! Networking definitely helps and it doesn’t hurt to have a community that stands by you and believes in you. I would not change the timing of how things happened for me and my journey. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and in good time. People come and go in your life and all of this has happened the way that it was intended. Read more>>

Rudy Meyer

I now earn a great living from my art, but it definitely didn’t start out that way. I began my art career at 40—pretty late, I know! For the first three years, I sold only three pieces, and those were to friends. It was tough and pretty discouraging. I gave myself one more year to make it happen; otherwise, I’d just paint on Sundays for fun. All the while, my passion for creating my own original music never went away, and so I would teach myself production skills and practice the art of songwriting and composition. Eventually, I became good enough to offer my services to other bands and artists, This was easy to market since the “proof was in the pudding” for the original music I had recorded and released. Read more>>